Reports are coming in this morning that the Cleveland Indians have signed RHP Chad Durbin to a 1-year $800,000 deal with the potential for him to earn an additional $1-Million in easily reachable incentives …
The biggest Free Agent Derby of Spring Training 2011 has come to an end, the Indians have outbid the Phillies, Rangers, RedSox, Rays & Royals for the Righties services, a signing that few saw coming even earlier this week, but one which will be felt throughout baseball. Durbin of course is no stranger to the AL Central, having pitched previously for the Indians in 03 and 04, as well as the Tigers in 06 and 07.
Durbin brings with him a “Championship” pedigree (06 Detroit, 08 Philly, 09 Philly, 10 Philly) that although the Indians aren’t picked to Contend in the AL Central this year, will certainly prove to be a valuable component of an otherwise young Indians Bullpen. A safe bet would be that if Durbin pitches as he has the last 3 seasons in Philly http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4210, that he will not finish the 2011 season in Cleveland, but rather with a Contender in yet another Pennant Race.
In working his way to a contender in June or July, Durbin will have gotten the best of both worlds, he’ll have gotten a Major League Contract for a full season, and a shot at another Playoff Run with Philly, Tampa Bay, Boston, Texas, or a Contender that wasn’t pursuing him according to the media this spring. In the meantime, the Phillies will miss his presence in their pen, a unit that he stabilized over the last three seasons, and the Indians will gladly raffle him off for the price of a prospect or two at the Trade Deadline.
Here are some links to the Mass Media coverage:
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/02/cleveland_indians_have_reporte.html
Nachos Add Peppers 
yeah nice